Arch support



Aug.25, 1931. I A, F, K AUSZ 1,820,747

ARCH SUPPORT Filed Dec. 6. 1930' 2 Shets-Sheet 1 25, 1931- A. F. KRAUSZ 11,8 47

ARCH SUPPORT Filed Dec. 6. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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y I T of the foot will resiliently support the same,

Patented Aug. 25, 1931 Amman F. KnAnsz, or nos'r-oN, MASSACHUSETTS ARCH snrron r Application filed December 6, 19230. Serial No. 500,521.

This invention relates to an improved arch support adapted to be used in a shoe.

The object of the invention is to provide an arch support which while bracing the arch while it is capable of yielding to the weight of the wearer, it has embodied therein a Strip of resilient material, preferably tempered spring steel, which allows the arch to yield downwardly against a constant tendency to i by reason of this muscular action.

react upwardly, and the spring steel when not subjected to pressure will always retain its a and arrangement of parts set forth 1n the normal arched flattened.

Muscles are strengthened by exercise. Weak muscles and strained ligaments are the cause of fiat feet or fallen arches. All rubber pad arch supports lie flat on the shank of the sole of the shoe, making easier walking,.but the weakened muscles do not get the needed exercise to develop strength in such muscles. It is the object of my improved arch support shape and will not become to provide a device whereby the arch of the foot is supported and the muscles have an opportunity to be strengthened by exercise as .member.

when the spring embodied in the arch yields downwardly and then moves upwardly. The archedsprlng-of my mproved arch support when in use is located beneath the navicular and cuneiform bones and acts as a support to raise such bones when they havebecome fallen down, the arch being highest beneath these two bones.

The front end portion'of the arch support projects beneath and. up to the heads of the metatarsal bones of. the foot, said front end portion being wider than the intermediate portion and the centralportion of said front end portion being curved upwardly to still further assist in supporting the metatarsal bones. The heel portion of the arch support is also wider than said intermediate portion to efiiciently support the heel of the foot.

The skeleton of the foot is raised and kept in normalposition and in time the muscles and ligaments shorten to meet the new condition which means that the natural arch in the foot has been restored to its normal position.

The steel arch supports of commerce are line 8+8, Fig. 6.

uncomfortable and heavy and alsointerfere with the natural walking movement of the twenty-six joints which are located in the foot. The arch of this invention is elastic 1 "and corrects the position of fallen down The invention consists in the combination following specification and particularl pointed out in theclaim thereof. I

, Referring to the drawings: I

' Fig. 1 is a plan View of an arch support for afshoe embodying my invention, the same being for a left foot. I

Fig. '2 is aside elevation of the same.

" Figs 3, 4 and '5 are sectional elevations taken on lines 3, 4 and 5, Fig. 2, respectively.

Fig. .6 is a plan view of the resilient "member of my improved arch support.

Fig.7 is a side-elevation of the resilient I Fig. 8 is a transverse section taken on the Fig. 9 is a detail section taken onthe line Like numerals refer to like parts in the several views of the drawings.

.- In the drawings, 10 is the arch support embodyingmy invention, the same comprising an" upper layer 11 and a lower layer 12 of soft material such as leather. A cushion 13. of soft material such as rubber is interposed between the layers 11 and 12 and a strip 14. of resilient material, preferably spring its shape and not be permanently distorted or flattened from use, is interposed between the cushion 13 and the lower layer 12. The

cushion 13 is provided with a depressed portion 15 in its under side in which the resilient strip. 14 is positioned.

I Thearch suppport is of a contour to approximately fit within a shoe and comprises 'steel tempered so that itwill always retain Q intermediate portion 18 being arched longitudinally thereof in order to support the navicular and cuneiform bones of the foot and to keep them in normal position. The arch support is also curved in a variety of arcs transversely thereof as illustrated in Figs-3, 4 and 5 .tofit and support theiinstep of the foot.

The resilient strip 14} comprises acompara- 1U tively narrow intermediateportion.19,-a front end portion 20 and a heel portion 21. "The intermediate portion 19 acts as a supportdior the cuneiform and navicular bones of the foot, While the front end-portiomQOzprojerts beneath and supports the metatarsal bones of the foot extending at itsfront efld-upto the headsofthe-metatarsal bones. The portion'QOof the resilientmember is alsocurved transversely thereof at 22, as particularly-il- 20 lustr'atedin Fight). The heel portion 21 6f the resilient-member is also 'eXtendedla-teral- 'ly ascompared Withthe intermediate-portion "19 m order to'efiicien'tly support thheelof the wearer. "The resilient member His cov- 25 *eredwith a? layerofrelatively soft material 23 such as rubber, see F-ig. 5;"tliis rubberbeing stuclrto themetal of the resilientmember 14 by an adhesive. The objectofthe rubbercovering' ofthe resilient'memberql f isfto prevent slipping uponthe' parts adjacent thereto when in-.use,-fthus 'eliminatingzany tendency to squeak.

The resilient strip llis .preferablypositioned Within the arch support lOiwithQthe 3 median longitudinal line AA of 'its'rintermediate portion positioned nearer. the inner edge-of the arch support 10 than themdi'an longitudinal line .B-B of' the intermediate portion of said arch support.

When' in use, the arch support is placed in the interior of the shoe in the usual manner and when the shoe is upon the. foot of the wearer the heel will he supported on the end portion 17, the front part of the foot 'Wlll be supported on the portion 16, arid-theflinstepof the foot Wlll'bfi supportedbythe arch portion 18 of .thearchsupport, said arch portion *18-acting as a support for the cuneiform and navicular bones of the archpf'the foot.

I claim;

An arch support for a shoe having, in combination, a heel portion, a front, end portion and an intermediate portion, the said support being of a contour to approximatelyfitzyvithin a shoe, the intermediate portion being arched longitudinally thereof; said;arch-'supportembodying an upper and a lower-layer of soft sheet material, a cushion of soft material interposed between said layers, and a relatively narrow strip of resilient material interposed between said cushion. and lower layer extending longitudinally ofsaictarch support and arched to provide a resilient-support for theinstep of a human foot; the front in Khalid.

y ARTHUR F. KRAUSZ. 

